Roland Cutinho
West Ham United in talks with Manchester United to sign French striker Anthony Martial
As stated by talkSport (h/t the Sun), West Ham United are interested in signing Manchester United striker Anthony Martial this summer.
The Hammers have collected £105 million following the sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal, and they would be aiming to sign new players after staying relatively quiet in this transfer window.
They have already reached a £30m agreement with United for the transfer of centre-back Harry Maguire. They also made a similar offer for midfielder Scott McTominay, which was turned down.
Now, as per Alex Crook from Talk Sport, West Ham’s focus has shifted to bolstering their forward line, with an interest in French forward Martial.
It has been stated that conversations have occurred regarding the possibility of a transfer for the United striker, whose future with the 20-time English champions is currently unclear.
Supposedly, West Ham have communicated to United their desire to stay updated about any progress related to the 27-year-old player.
Martial joined United from Monaco in September 2015, but he has faced difficulties in replicating the promising form that once made him a highly sought-after young talent in global football.
During his time with the club, the forward has participated in 298 matches for the Red Devils, netting 88 goals and providing 53 assists.
In the previous season, Martial suffered various injury issues that kept him at bay most of the time. Consequently, his playing time was limited to 29 appearances, yielding just nine goals and three assists.
Man United are not sure whether to allow the former Monaco prodigy to depart unless they secure another forward.
This comes up especially considering their shortage in the attacking department even after the recent addition of Rasmus Hojlund, who will be unavailable in the early stages of the season due to injury.
In our opinion, it is unlikely for the manager to let go of one of his two centre-forwards, especially since the other is a newcomer who lacks experience in the Premier League and is currently dealing with an injury.
On the flip side, there’s a risk for United that they might lose Martial without receiving any transfer fee in a year’s time if they don’t sell him this summer unless they decide to extend his contract.
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However, renegotiating the striker’s contract could be difficult due to his high weekly salary.
It’s unlikely that United would agree to such terms again unless the former Monaco ace gives them a good reason to extend his stay at Old Trafford.
